The Battle of the Doctor Who Producers - Part Two - Characters

Russell T. Davies Vs Steven Moffat - Battle of the Doctor Who Producers

Part 2 - Characters

By Ken Parker

See part one

In comparing the two producers, one element that seems obvious to look at is characters and of course, the Doctor. Russell. T. Davies and Steven Moffat each have had two Doctors (unless you count Moffat's screwing up the regeneration count with the War Doctor.) This is hard to compare the two because people have their own favorite Doctors. Just because I liked one particular Doctor doesn't mean this makes the producer better but it does point to a direction of sorts and I have included some quick examples and opinion.

Doctor Who - Cover and Synopsis For 12th Doctor Issue 8

Here are the details and covers for Aprils 12th Doctor comic book.  If you haven't been reading it you should as the comic book has been pretty good.

DOCTOR WHO: THE TWELFTH DOCTOR #8
Writer: Robbie Morrison
Artist: Brian Williamson

New Comic Book Day For January 28th

DARK HORSE COMICS

* Colder: Bad Seed 4
* Conan: The Avenger 10
* Conan:TPB: Savage Sword of Conan 18
* EC Archives:THC: 4-Vault of Horror
* Eerie:THC: Archives 18
* Elfquest: Final Quest 7
* Eye of Newt:TTHC:
* Fathers Day 4
* Halo: Escalation 14
* Mind MGMT 30
* Predator: Fire And Stone 4
* Sundowners 6
* Tomb Raider 12

DC COMICS

Doctor Who - Ninth Doctor Number 2 Comic Book Cover and Synopsis

The new Titans 9th Doctor comic book synopsis and covers for the second issue which comes out in April.  Issue comes out in March so make sure you reserve your copy.

DOCTOR WHO: THE NINTH DOCTOR #2
Writer: Cavan Scott
Artist: Blair Shedd
32pp – FC - $3.99
On sale: 04/08/2015

Don’t miss the second thrilling installment of Weapons Of Past Destruction – an all-new miniseries adventure featuring the Ninth Doctor – as played by Christopher Eccleston – along with companions Rose and Jack!

David Tennant Enters the Marvel Universe in A.K.A Jessica Jones

David Tennant (Doctor 10) will be playing the villain, The Purple Man in Netflix's upcoming A.K.A Jessica Jones.  The series will be 13 episodes long and debut on Netflix later this year.  Starring Krysten Ritter (Veronica Mars) as Jessica Jones, the series follows an ex-super hero turned detective dealing with other people with super powers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Jones

http://marvel.com/news/tv/23978/david_tennant_joins_marvels_aka_jessica_jones_for_netflix

CBS Casts Supergirl

CBS is working a Supergirl TV series which will be handled by Greg Berlanti (Arrow).  The series will follow Kara Zor-El she starts to use her superpowers on Earth.  Melissa Benoist will play Kara.  Melissa is known for her part on the TV series Glee.

Supergirl is planned for Fall 2015

X-Men - Apocalypse Cast Announced

Some of the cast for the next X-Men movie, X-Men Apocalypse has been announced.  Alexandra Shipp (Drumline - A New Beat)  will play a young Storm.  Tye Sheridan (The Tree of Life) will play the young Cyclops and Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones) will play a young Jean Grey.

X-Men Apocalypse is scheduled for May 27, 2016

The Battle of the Doctor Who Producers - Part One - Stories and Writing

Russell T. Davies Vs Steven Moffat - Battle of the Doctor Who Producers

Part 1 - Stories & Writing

By Ken Parker

The moment Russell T. Davies announced he would be stepping down as executive producer for Doctor Who I planned on writing this article. I was ready to happily compare Steven Moffat's take on Doctor Who compared to Russell's view of the TV show. I knew without a doubt that Steven Moffat would run the table and be better at the job than Russell T. Davies.

Having been an American fan of Doctor Who since the late 70's, I was eagerly awaiting the return of the series in 2005 but the show did not meet my expectations. Numerous things, in my mind, made the show inferior to the classic series and I felt that Davies was responsible for much of the problem. I did feel that the show had some good points and it struggled to keep a constant quality product. One of the highlights from the first few years was episodes written by Steven Moffat and so when it was announced that he was taking over from 

Davies, I was ecstatic.

Both have produced around the same number of stories as of right now, 2015 and so comparisons between the two seem fair now. In order to have an actual comparison I will look at several elements of the Doctor Who series and determine who might have done a better job at providing a quality product. Obviously, my stance on Doctor Who is not all positive. This opinion that I express is just that, an opinion but it is based on comparison to the original series and story telling in general as well as my own agendas and experiences with Doctor Who over the years. I am no expert and welcome discussion on this.

Doctor Who -The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield Vol 2 Cover and Synopsis Released

The second volume of Bernice Summerfield Adventures starring Lisa Bowermen will be released in June and like the first series it will be a 4 disc set and will costar Sophie Aldred as Ace and Sylvester McCoy as The Doctor.  This time it sees the return of Sutekh who was last seen in the Tom Baker story The Pyramid of Mars.  The synopsis for the adventure is below.

1) The Pyramid Of Sutekh

Professor Bernice Summerfield, archaeologist and adventurer, has discovered a Pyramid on Mars. Inside she finds her old friend the Doctor is fighting a battle with the Osiran God Sutekh. One he is losing.

2) The Vaults Of Osiris

Egypt in 2015 is an unsettled place. The trade in stolen antiquities is a murky one, and it's about to get a whole lot worse, as an ancient and terrible force enters the market.

3) The Eye Of Horus

Ancient Egypt is enjoying a golden age - peace, prosperity and a powerful Pharaoh. But something is moving through the sands. A forgotten god requests an invite to the feast.

4) The Tears Of Isis

Russell Courtland prophesied the world would end on Tuesday. No-one was more suprised than he was when it did.

The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield - Volume 2: The Triumph of Sutekh is out in June. Watch this space for trailers and further news!

IVAR, TIMEWALKER #1 | THE VALIANT #2 – On Sale January 21st!‏

From the New York Times best-selling team of Fred Van Lente and Clayton Henry comes a centuries-spanning race against the clock, straight out of the pages of ARCHER & ARMSTRONG!

Prehistoric empires! Dystopian futures! And everywhere in between! The past, present, and future of our universe are about to meet an untimely end, and only the mysterious Ivar Anni-Padda can prevent all three from collapsing in on themselves. Unstuck in time, and pursued by enemies simultaneously across every moment of his time-lost life, can the man called Timewalker save everything that ever was, is, and will be? Get ready for a clock-stopping odyssey into the distant past and far future as the most unlikely Valiant hero of all leaps into his first history-ripping adventure!

THE TITHE—A heist story unlike any before‏

THE TITHE

A HEIST STORY UNLIKE ANY BEFORE

New Top Cow series will steal readers’ hearts

Writer Matt Hawkins (THINK TANK, TALES OF HONOR) and artist Rahsan Ekedal team up for an all new thriller suspense series—THE TITHE—coming from Top Cow this April.

In THE TITHE, mega-churches are being robbed for millions of dollars by a crusader hacker group known as Samaritan who is giving the money to causes they deem more worthy. This modern day “Robin Hood” is being pursued by two FBI agents who actually admire their quarry but want to stop the theft before it escalates.

LUTHER STRODE returns‏

LUTHER STRODE RETURNS

The LEGACY OF LUTHER STRODE

marks the final chapter to the popular series

Justin Jordan (SPREAD, LUTHER STRODE) and Tradd Moore (LUTHER STRODE, All New Ghost Rider) reunite for LEGACY OF LUTHER STRODE, the final chapter in the popular LUTHER STRODE trilogy, set to launch from Image Comics on April 1.

For five years, Luther Strode and Petra have been on the run. Now the time for running is over, and the Murder Cult is going down. The road to Cain starts here in the double-sized debut of LEGACY OF LUTHER STRODE #1.

GISCHLER GOES HELLBOUND WITH DARK HORSE‏

MILWAUKIE, OR—In September 2015, Dark Horse Comics will take readers on a road trip of horrific nightmares in small-town America—kept at bay by one man in junkyard armor.

Adapted from the hit Panini series Highway to Hell, Hellbound follows the exploits of two disgraced FBI agents sent to investigate gruesome murders along the highway, but there’s much more to the case than a garden-variety serial killer.

New Comic Book Checklist For January 21st

DARK HORSE COMICS
Abe Sapien:TPB: 5-Sacred Places
BPRD: Hell on Earth (Part 18) 127
BPRD: Plague of Frogs:TPB: 2
Buffy: The Vampire Slayer: Season 10: 11
Conan: King Conan:TPB: 4-Conquerer
Dark Horse Presents (2014) 6
Elfquest: 1 for $1
Groo: Friends And Foes 1
Legend of Korra:HC: Art of the Animated Series: Book 3-Change
Robert E Howards Savage Sword:TPB: 2
Strain: Night Eternal 5
Victories:TPB: 4-Meta Human

DC COMICS
Aquaman And the Others:TPB: 1-Legacy Of Gold

The X-Files Returning to Fox??

You don't generally see a network wanting a show back after so many years but Fox would love to see a X-Files revival with Chris Carter at the helm and starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny .  The show has been off the air for over 12 years and the show's stars are busy on other projects but perhaps something will happen.  The second movie was on 7 years ago but there has been no movement on that end either.

I was a fan of The X-Files for years but in my opinion the show went downhill quickly and not just because the main stars left the show.  The series ran out of ideas and revisited the conspiracy ideal too many times.  I stopped caring about every aspect of the series.  If the show came back I would love to see it return to the case of the week with perhaps different conspiracies rather than the alien abduction, government, black goo, clones, etc story arc.

One would have to wonder in what format the show would come back and a limited episode run would seem most likely rather than a full season.  It is also possible that Duchovny and Anderson would be there to introduce two new leads who would then head up a new series.  That would be great except it sort of had been done before and didn't work that well.

The Expanse - Trailer for SYFY

Based on the novel "Leviathan Wakes" this 10 part series looks interesting for sure.

 

Spider-Man to appear in The Avengers - Infinity War????

The Marvel - Sony deal is rumored to be done and Spider-Man will indeed make an appearance in the 3rd Avengers film in May 2018.  Obviously this is a rumor, and a huge one at that.  Over at Latino Review they have a detailed and spoiler-ful run down of the next few Marvel films including who may or may not be in the upcoming films and Spider-Man is said to be in the first part of the Avengers - Infinity War. Do not read this article as it spoils a lot.  Sony has of course denied this rumor stating it is an old one and so probably not but a surprise appearance by your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man would be way cool.

The Tracy Brothers appear - Thunderbirds Are Go!

Doctor Who - Filming Begins on Series 9

Filming has begun on Series 9 of Doctor Who and a few guest stars and a writer have been confirmed.  The double episode that will be filmed during the block are written by Toby Whitehouse who is the creator of Being Human and has also written for Doctor Who before.  Here is the official press release by the BBC Media Centre which has the list of guest stars that have been confirmed so far.

Filming has begun in Cardiff for series 9 of Doctor Who and includes a star-studded guest cast. The new series will be back on BBC One in autumn 2015.

The episodes currently being filmed are written by Toby Whithouse (The Game, Being Human), produced by Derek Ritchie and directed by Daniel O’Hara (Silent Witness 2015, The Game, Being Human).

Valiant Announces "IMPERIUM: PRELUDE" by Joshua Dysart & Doug Braithwaite – An Exclusive Original Story Available in Valiant's February Titles!‏

The VALIANT NEXT initiative is introducing its latest milestone ongoing series on February 4th in IMPERIUM #1 by New York Times best-selling writer Joshua Dysart (HARBINGER) and superstar artist Doug Braithwaite (ARMOR HUNTERS), and now Valiant is giving fans a chance to discover the next essential series of 2015 with the IMPERIUM: PRELUDE – an exclusive, never-before-seen prologue sequence by the ongoing creative team of Dysart & Braithwaite that will make its print debut in Valiant's February titles!

Watch the SECRET WARS LIVE KICKOFF Next Tuesday 1/20!‏

Learn Exciting Details About Secret Wars in a Unique Live Event!

New York, NY—January 13th, 2015— This May, time has run out and Secret Wars, the landmark 8-issue event, is ready to shake the very foundations of the Marvel Universe as you know it. But first, on Tuesday, January 20th 2015 at 3 p.m. Eastern, we’re hosting the ground breaking SECRET WARS LIVE KICKOFF!

Streaming live from New York City’s own Midtown Comics next week, fans can head to

New Comic Book Checklist For January 14th

DARK HORSE COMICS
Abe Sapien: Dark + Terrible 19
Alien vs. Predator: Fire And Stone 4
Buffy: The Vampire Slayer:THC: Season 9: Library 1
Conan/Red Sonja 1
Doctor Solar:TPB: Archives 4
Itty Bitty Comics: The Mask 3
Plants vs. Zombies:THC: Timepocalypse
Resurrectionists 3
Veil:THC:
X 21

DC COMICS

The Avengers - Age of Ultron Trailer #2

Doctor Who - Synopsis For The English Way of Death

Along with The Romance of Crime Big Finish will be releasing The English Way of Death.  This is another Missing Adventure story from the old Virgin Line that will be coming out this month.  It stars Tom Baker, Lalla Ward and John Leeson reprising their roles that they made famous in the 70's.  You can order it from the Big Finish website.
http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/the-english-way-of-death-standard-edition-1003

The Doctor, Romana and K9 arrive in 1930s London to return some overdue library books. They plan to take a rest after their recent adventures, but Romana detects a distress signal from the future and the Doctor is attacked by a suffocating green mist.

Written By: Gareth Roberts, adapted by John Dorney
Directed By: Nicholas Briggs

Cast
Tom Baker (The Doctor), Lalla Ward (Romana), John Leeson (K9), Terrence Hardiman (Stackhouse), Derek Carlyle (Orlick), Richard Braine (Percy Closed), Abigail McKern (Felicia), Annabel Mullion (Julia), Mark Bonnar (Porteus), Tim Bentinck (Colonel Radlett), Andrew Bone (Woodrow), Jane Slavin (Harriet),

Orphan Black Season 3 Teaser - This Is War

Obituaries - Rod Taylor, Bernard Kay, Fiona Cumming

We don't normally do obituaries on this site but there have been quite a few lately that I think warrant some mention.

Rod Taylor, died at the age of 84.  He is probably best known for movies such as The Time Machine and The Birds but has so many other films he appeared in.  His last role was a Winston Churchill cameo in Inglourious Basterds in 2009 (I did not know that!).


http://www.rodtaylorsite.com/




Bernard Kay was 86 and passed away on December 25 of 2014.  He played in many TV roles over the years including appearances in The Avengers, The Professionals and Z-Cars.  He was in Doctor Who four times including "Dalek Invasion of Earth" as Tyler and "The Crusade" as Saladin.  both of these were with William Hartnell and his next appearance was with Patrick Troughton in "The Faceless Ones" as Crossland and finally with Jon Pertwee in "Colony in Space" as Caldwell.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Kay

Fiona Cumming, 77, died on January 1.  Looking over her resume for Doctor Who alone, one can note that she was one of those unsung workers on the show that did do much over the years.  She worked on the show on and off as a floor manager, production assistant and finally a director.  She directed "Castrovalva", "Snakedance", "Enlightenment" and "Planet of Fire."  She had also been part of the production team during the 60's.

She also was involved with Blake's 7 and Z-Cars.

http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Fiona_Cumming

The Avengers Creator Dies - Brian Clemens RIP

Brian Clemens, who worked as producer and writer for such shows as The Protectors, The Professionals, Danger Man and The Avengers, has passed away at the age of 83.  One of the television greats of our time for sure.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Clemens

Thunderbirds Are Go TV Series Update and Rumors (UPDATED)

Some rumors going around that the new show will air starting April 15 in the UK.

The new ITV animated series is a remake of the Gerry and Sylvia Anderson puppet series of the 60's.

The series has already been renewed for a second season!

Sorry, we did have a photo of some of the characters but we decided to pull that photo until the official reveal.

CW Delivers Early 2015 Renewals for Everything!

Arrow, The Flash, Supernatural and The 100 are among the shows that CW has already renewed for next season.  The Vampire Diaries will have a 7th season while it's spin-off , The Originals will go for its 3rd. Reign will be entering its 3rd season while Supernatural hits its 11th season.  The Flash zips forward to its second season while Arrow shoots for the 4th.

This is fairly early for a network to renew all its shows like this and CW is obviously happy with their ratings.

Doctor Who - What I Would Like To See In Series 9 of Doctor Who

Series 8 in my mind was pretty good.   I really enjoyed Peter Capaldi as The Doctor and enjoyed his debut series.  With that said I did feel that there could be some improvement to make the series better. With Series 9 beginning filming this week I have come up with a few things that I would like to see in Series 9.

Doctor Who - Cover For Doctor Who Magazine 482

2015 – My Top 10 Movies I Can’t Wait For

By Ken Parker

2015 is going to be a huge year for the big screen.  There is going to be lots of Sci-Fi and Fantasy to experience and my list no doubt will resemble most other people’s lists but I also have tried to include some of the lesser known releases.

There are some obvious and not so obvious things on my list so lets start with an obvious one.

Doctor Who - Synopsis For The Romance of Crime

There are two special releases this month both starring Tom Baker and Lalla Ward.  The Romance of Crime is a special release based on Gareth Roberts novel from Virgins Missing Adventures line. You can order it from the Big Finish website.
http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/the-romance-of-crime-standard-edition-1002

he TARDIS brings the Doctor, Romana and K9 to the Rock of Judgement; a court, prison and place of execution built into a rocket-powered asteroid. When involved in an investigation by the system's finest lawman, they find they must seek answers to some disturbing questions.

Written By: Gareth Roberts, adapted by John Dorney
Directed By: Nicholas Briggs

Cast
Tom Baker (The Doctor), Lalla Ward (Romana), John Leeson (K9), Graham Seed (Pyerpoint), Miranda Raison (Margo/Xais), Phil Mulryne (Shom, Hogan, Ogron 6), Marcus Garvey (Frank Spiggot), Michael Troughton (Stokes), James Joyce (Zy, Ogron 5, Barman), Joshua Silver (Charlie Nisbett), John Dorney (Eddie Nisbett/Ogrons), Jane Slavin (Blakemore, Bailiff, Librarian)

HOWTOONS [RE] IGNITION Fires Up Children's Imaginations‏

HOWTOONS [RE] IGNITION FIRES UP CHILDREN’S IMAGINATIONS

Graphic novel teaches STEAM skills

through story

HOWTOONS, the comic that taps into kids’ imagination and curiosity with DIY science projects, is back with HOWTOONS: [RE] IGNITION. In this February graphic novel from Image Comics, Celine and Tucker are siblings who wake up in the far future, where energy is scarce and their parents are missing! They explore a strange new Earth using their gadgeteering skills to create projects and experiments to survive hostile tribes and bizarre mechanized threats — projects and experiments kids and parents can make themselves at home, and learn basic energy literacy at the same time!

ETERNAL WARRIOR: DAYS OF STEEL #3 (of 3) – On Sale January 7th!‏

The Eternal Warrior’s gambit to save an oppressed people…has seemingly failed. Will he fall short of his mission on behalf of the Geomancer?

With steel sparking and axes clashing in battle, the hero of countless wars since time immemorial

Jeff Lemire, Matt Kindt, and Paolo Rivera Recruit...Everyone in THE VALIANT #3!‏

 Valiant is proud to present an advance preview of THE VALIANT #3 (of 4) – the next colossal chapter of the VALIANT NEXT comic book event ten thousand years in the making by New York Times best-selling writers Jeff Lemire (BLOODSHOT REBORN, Green Arrow), Matt Kindt (RAI, Mind MGMT), and Eisner Award winning artist Paolo Rivera (Daredevil). On February 18th, the Eternal Warrior, Ninjak, and Geomancer come together to face down their worst nightmare in the Immortal Enemy, but even with the indestructible fury of Bloodshot to aid them...it won't be enough!

Explore the mythology of the Dreamstone in FIVE GHOSTS: SPECIAL #1‏

EXPLORE THE MYTHOLOGY OF THE DREAMSTONE IN FIVE GHOSTS: SPECIAL #1
S.M. Vidaurri lends painterly interpretation to Fabian’s backstory

Writer Frank J. Barbiere and writer/artist S.M. Vidaurri (Jim Henson Storyteller: Witches, Iron: Or, The War After) come together to paint a special Fabian Gray backstory in FIVE GHOSTS: SPECIAL #1 coming to Image Comics on March 25, 2015.

New Comic Book Checklist For January 7th

DARK HORSE COMICS
Angel + Faith: Season 10: 10
Ghost 11
Ghost Fleet 3
Hellboy And the BPRD: 1952 2
Lady Killer 1
Usagi Yojimbo: Senso 6

DC COMICS
Aquaman And the Others 9
Batman Incorporated:THC: Absolute Edition

Marvel's Ant-Man Trailer

Marvel's Ant-Man Poster

Doctor Who - Synopsis For Mistfall

The month's Main Range sees the Fifth Doctor taking center stage with the first of three stories.  This time we see a return to E- Space and we go full circle with Andrew Smith writing a sequel to Full Circle.
http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/mistfall-867

Drawn off-course, the TARDIS passes through a CVE into a closed universe – a hugely improbable event with a tragically obvious cause. In order to escape inescapable E-Space, the Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan and Turlough are forced to venture in the wilds of planet Alzarius.

But they're not the only unwanted visitors to this strange world. A Starliner has landed, captained by Decider Merrion – but why would Merrion risk rousing the Planet that Slept, and the monsters in its marshes?

Mistfall is coming. The Marshmen are coming. But while Nyssa and Turlough find themselves caught in the open, in the hands of fanatics who model themselves on the legendary Outlers, the Doctor and Tegan discover that the supposedly secure Starliner affords them no protection from monsters both within and without...

Written By: Andrew Smith
Directed By: Ken Bentley

Cast
Peter Davison (The Doctor), Janet Fielding (Tegan), Sarah Sutton (Nyssa), Mark Strickson (Turlough), Jemma Redgrave (Decider Lana Merrion), Nigel Carrington (Pik Solus), Emily Woodward (Fem/Citizen Arana), Paul Panting (Drell/Marshleader), Matthew Carter (Yan Fara)

BBC AMERICA's Doctor Who Finishes 2014 with Highest Rated Season Ever‏

Doctor Who: Last Christmas Delivers Over 2.3 Million Viewers on Christmas Day

Peter Capaldi’s first season saw the Doctor coming face-to-face with Missy, AKA The Master, and teaming up with Santa in the scary festive special

New York – January 5, 2015 – BBC AMERICA’s Doctor Who finishes the year with its highest rated season ever on BBC AMERICA, plus the annual Christmas Special delivered over 2.3 million Total Viewers and was the #1 non-sports telecast in all of cable during the time period among Adults 25-54 in Live+3.

Doctor Who - Synopsis For The Exxilons

New Year and a new year for Big Finish as we start of 2015 with another series of 4th Doctor Adventures starring Tom Baker.  He is once again joined by Louise Jameson as Leela and John Leeson as K-9.  The first story in series 4 is The Exxilon by the voice of the Daleks himself Nick Briggs. You can order it from the Big Finish website.
http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/the-exxilons-937

Planet E9874 supports a developing civilisation known as the Tarl. The peaceful, technologically advanced Locoyuns are helping the Tarl develop rudimentary technology. What could be more innocent than that?

When the Doctor, Leela and K9 arrive, they find the delicate balance in the relationship between the two cultures reaching an unexpected crisis point. The spears are flying and the threat of all-out war is in the air.

The Doctor must use all his guile to tread a careful path with Tarl leader Ergu, while Leela and K9 discover an ancient power of unimaginable strength which threatens to tear the minds out of its victims.

Written By: Nicholas Briggs
Directed By: Nicholas Briggs

Cast
Tom Baker (The Doctor), Louise Jameson (Leela), John Leeson (K9), Daisy Dunlop (Trexa), Jacqueline King (Calura), Hugh Ross (Gethal)

Doctor Who - Trailer For The Fourth Doctor By Gareth Roberts

Big Finish will be releasing a limited collectors edition and standard editions for two of Gareth Roberts Fourth Doctor stories from the Virgin Missing Adventures Book Series.  The Romance of Crime and The English Way of Death have been done with a full cast for this audio release which will be out this month.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year From The Gallifrayan Gazette